Ex-Riverside County deputy convicted of murder in off-duty shooting

Kate Mather

A former Riverside County sheriff's deputy was convicted of second-degree murder Thursday in a 2011 off-duty shooting of a man at a Murrieta bar.

After about a day and a half of deliberations, a Riverside County jury also found true an enhancement that Dayle William Long, 44, discharged a firearm causing death, the Riverside County District Attorney's office said.

Long, who is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 30, faces 40 years to life in state prison.

Long was a 10-year veteran of the sheriff's department the night of Dec. 21, 2011, when officials said he shot and killed Samuel Vanettes, 36, at Spelly's Pub and Grille.

Long then walked outside the bar and identified himself as an off-duty deputy to Murrieta police responding to the scene, officials said.

The officers found Vanettes dead inside. The Winchester man had been shot several times, officials said.

Vanettes had been drinking with family members when he introduced himself to Long, who was drinking at the bar alone, a relative previously told The Times. The relative said the pair had been playing darts before the situation escalated.